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Article of the Week
Posted on: Wednesday March 8th, 2006
Golden Temple- Amritsar
Text and pics by Sanjay Austa
The Taj Mahal may be one of the architectural wonder's of the world but not many people know that The Golden Temple at Amritsar records more visitors than the famous Mughal Monument every year. Also known as Harminder Sahib, the Golden Temple is the holiest shrine of the Sikh faith and receives millions of visitors both domestic and foreign every year. What makes it the most frequented sites is the fact that most of the Indian diaspora living in Europe, America and elsewhere are either Punjabis (from the state of Punjab) or they profess the Sikh faith. So each year when they visit the country of their birth they make it a point to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. Golden Temple enshrines the holiest book of the Sikh faith-the Guru Grant Sahib.
Golden Temple is also one of the most-favoured tourist destinations for foreign tourists. The serenity and the calmness in the atmosphere and the beauty of the Golden Temple glimmering in the middle of a water body draws everyone.
The Golden Temple was built by Guru Arjan (the fifth guru 1581-1606). The temple's architecture draws from both Hindu and Muslim styles and yet is unique to itself. The central dome and the upper half of the walls of the temple are covered with gold leafed copper sheets. During the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones were added to the temple. Within the sanctuary of the temple, on a jewel-studded platform, lies the Guru Granth Sahib.
The pool surrounding the temple is fed by an underground spring. Pilgrims immerse themselves in the water as part of their visit to the temple -- a symbolic cleansing of the soul.
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